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Monroe County's First Total News Newspaper
U.8, POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO.13
FORSYTH GA.
31029
November fi, 1972
Shopping
center plans
announced
A. shopping center ‘ ‘ is being
built,” stated Monroe County
businessman N. A. Hardin with
out hesitation.
The center planned for 30
acres of land being cleared
between Highway 42 North, N.
Lee Street and N. Indian Springs
Drive is going to be devel
oped by Hardin and Lee T.
Newton.
According to Hardin, ‘' Alot
of local people have said they’re
interested” in the center and
he has received scores of calls,
letters and visitors from out
of town inquiring about the pro
posed center.
The developers are not pre
pared to announce any leases
or tenants at the present time,
Hardin did say, ‘ ‘I think we are
probably going to have a real
good-size operation, and a gen
uinely good center... I believe
that...”
Drawings of a possible layout
for the center have been made
but to date no architect has
been named to finalize the plans.
The original development is not
expected to utilize the entire
land area available. Tentative
plans show one entry into the
center irom N. Lee Street and
two entries from N. Indian
Springs Drive with the main
parking area on the Highway
42-side of the development.
Center funds
put on hold’
Nixon, Nunn, Dozier
take Monroe County
Close
WADY CLEMENTS, Mary Persons wing-
back, takes the Bulldogs to Peach County’s
four - yard line in the Bulldog win over
peach County Friday Night. Carl Pennington
leads the blocking for Clements. N
Persons has won the Region 2-AA
title. ... i • ••«
In the General Election
Tuesday, Republican candi
date President Richard Nixon
carried Monroe County with
a three-to-one margin. Mean
while Democratic candidates
Nunn, Wiggins and Dozier
were successful in county un
official returns and the spe
cial amendments to change the
terms and salaries of county
commissioners failed by a
large vote-margin.
Unofficial totals gave Nixon
2,229 votes to McGovern’s
796. Tills is the second time
that Monroe County lias voted
Republican in a national pres
idential election. The first
time in 1964 Senator Barry
Gold water won a slim vic
tory over then - candidate
President Lyndon Johnson. In
his successful bid for the
presidency In 1968 Nixon ran
third In Monroe County be
hind candidates George
Wallace of Alabama and Min
nesota Senator Hubert
Humphrey.
In the U. S. Senate race,
former State Representative
Sam Nunn of Perry, Ga., to
talled 1’939 votes to Cong.
Fletcher Thompson’s 993 in
the county, to help his vic
tory in the state.
Macon attorney Lester Zack
Dozier won in Monroe County
over -ills opposition, another
Macon barrister George Skene
for the Georgia Senate seat
from District 27. Unofficial
totals gave Dozier 1,886 to
Skene’s 705 In the county.
At this printing final vote
totals were Indefinite with a
negligible margin. In tills
Senate district Bibb voters
cast approximately 20,000
votes to less than 3,000 from
Monroe.
For Public Service Com
mission post Ben T. Wiggins
received 1.725 Monroe County
votes to Franklin C. Rogers’
527.
Special amendments which
faced the voters of the coun
ty concerning lengthening the
terms and raising the sal
aries of the county commis
sioners failed two-to-one. Of
interest was the fact that the
vote on the proposed amend
ments was very close in the
Culloden precinct, home of
County Commission Chair
man Billy Harris, and that the
only precinct with a majori
ty voting "yes” was the High
Falls precinct, home of County
Commissioner Joe Proctor.
According to officials voter
turn-out was better that In
the primary but not consid
ered heavy on the rainy e-
lection day. Approximately
3,000 out of a registered
5,900 voters went to the polls
Tuesday.
In a recent communication
from the District Chief of Men
tal Health, Monroe County of
ficials have been notified that
the County Training Center for
the Mentally Retarded might
never become a reality because
of a "sudden” crisis in the
funding of day care programs.
According to L. D. Springer,
Jr., district chief, a freeze has
been placed on submitting some
contracts which may have in
cluded Monroe County. No in
formation is available at this
time as to how this funding
crisis will be resolved.
Monroe County, under the
leadership of the County Men
tal Health Association, with
Charles Haygood as president,
and under the auspices of the
Monroe County Health Depart
ment, applied for federal fund
ing for a county mental health
training center for the mental
ly retarded, this past spring.
Lamar Russell served as chair
man of the committee to secure
the center.
Prior to submitting the appli
cation, the county association,
with the assistance of many
county residents and civic or
ganizations, as well as the coun
ty government, raised the re
quired amount, totalling in ex
cess of $6,000. The State of
Georgia was to match the coun
ty-raised amount, with the fed
eral portion making the total
amount almost $50,000.
At present, local authorities
are awaiting information from
the Human Resources Division
of the State of Georeia and
have been advised to "hold
fast” until official word is re
ceived from Atlanta.
Bulldogs clinch
region title
Mary Persons’ Bulldogs
have clinched the region 2-AA
West title and will face the
Swainsboro Tigers in a sub-
region playoff on November 17
in Swainsboro.
Although the Bulldogs will
face the "fighting Irish” of
Dublin, here on Friday night,
their eight wins and one loss
(Manchester, 14-13) has put
them In the play-offs.
Semicentennial board
undertakes study
At a meeting of the Board
of Directors and Steering
Committee of the Monroe
County Sesquicentennial As
sociation, Inc., Wednesday
night, October 25, the Rogers
Production Company was au
thorized by the sesquicenten-
nial officials to make a fact
finding study of the Forsyth
and Monroe County communi
ties.
Addressing the meeting held
in the Mary Persons High
School lunchroom was Ray
Dinnan, representative of the
Rogers Company. The com
pany, headquartered in Fos-
toria, Ohio, which manages
historical celebrations, is the
only production company of its
kind in existence,
Atentative date of April 29-
May 6, 1973, has been set
by the Board of Directors,
Directors for the planned
celebration commemorating
the 150th anniversary of For
syth and Monroe County are
N. A, Hardin; Marvin Bowdoin,
Sr., Harold Clarke; Dr. Robert
Jackson, Mrs. S. A. McCosh;
Lamar Russell: Mrs. David
Sewell, Sr; J, Ben Spear, Jr,:
Julius Stroud; Jack Treadwell:
Mrs. Billy Waldrep.; and O.
M. Williamson, Jr.
The steering committee
headed by Mrs. Bob Shuman
as general chairman, includes
Miss Kay Blttick; Dohn
Bonner; Don Daniel; Mrs. W.
B. Freeman, Sr.; Karl Hill:
Miss Sherry Ison; Jo Ann
Lawson; Scott McMurray;
Alvin Sewell; Bob Shuman;
Olln Trammell, Richard
Truitt. Mrs. Mary
Washington and J. Frank
Vaughn, with others to be
named.
According to Dinnan the
Rogers Company officials do
not work as active partici
pants in the celebration. They
will help in the planning sta
ges, advise committee chair
men, and send personnel into
the county to help m nage
the celebration for a] jroxi-
mately six to eight w eel .prior
to the celebration wee i. The
largest contribution tt s com
pany makes is in wri ing the
script, costuming, preparing
scenary, casting and direct
ing the historical spectacle,
which is usually one of the big
gest events of a celebration
week.
The Rogers Company came
to Monroe County highly re
commended by the officials
of celebrations held in Henry
County, Cochran, Macon, Tif-
ton and other communities.
This company has helped man
age city, county, state andna-
tional celebrations numbering
over 5,000 in their 69 years
of experience in the business.
Dinnan projected a proba
ble budget of $25 to $30 thou
sand, with the Rogers Company
fees approximately $8,000 -
$10,000, for a Monroe County
celebration.
The exact amount to be
charged will be presented by
Dinnan at a scheduled meet
ing, Wednesday night, Novem
ber 15, at 8:00 p,m. in the
Mary Persons lunchroom. In
cluded in his presentatation
will be a proposed plan of
action, including suggested e-
vents, and a proposed budget.
This information is determin
ed by the fact-finding study
prepared by Dinnan, and the
Rogers Company experience
and knowledge. On this Wed
nesday night, the Board of Di-
rectors and Steering Commit
tee will be required to make
a decision as to whether they
desire to hire the Rogers
Company for the event in 1973.
As one director commented,
“Of course, we’re gonna have
a celebration whether we hire
them or not...”
Homecoming queen
HOMECOMING QUEEN at Mary Persons High crowned
Friday night was Miss Rosemary Alexander, daughter of
Mrs. Lizzie Alexander of 136 Powell Street. Rosemary,
a senior at Mary Persons Is 17 years old. She parti
cipates in Safety Council, F.H.A., and G.R.M.P. activi
ties and is on the Varsity basketball squad. Chosen
from a Homecoming Court of six, Rosemary says she
enjoys sewing and cooking and aspires to become a ' > -
glstered nurse upon her graduation from high school.
Forsyth beautification
plans under discussion
"In most places, the local
government has to prod local
businesses,” to do something
about downtown beautification,
says Orran Hudson, graphics
chief for the Middle Georgia
Area Planning Commission.
But in Monroe County it seems
the private businesses have be
gun by pushing the local go
vernment officials to study
beautification, he says.
Perhaps it is because of the
threat of a possible shopping
center, or increased interest
in the area’s tradition and her
itage generated by the talk oi
a sesquicentennial; neverthe
less, the businesses are alrea
dy interested In doing something
to improve the central busi
ness district.
Hudson is a native of another
small middle Georgia town,
Sandersville. A fine arts grad
uate of the Univ arsity of Geor
gia, he worked in retail adver
tising before he began his work
with the M.G.A.P.C.
According to Hudson, a Beau
tification Commission is in the
process of being appointed by
the city and county govern
ments. This group wllL meet
with Hudson to discuss what
type of downtown beautification
would be feasible for Forsyth.
Following their recommenda
tions he would draw up a plan
for the areg.
Initial planning will include
. traffic patterns, suggested
store fronts and sidewalk,
courthouse improvements, any
thing in the downtown business
district . Although the first
pLans would concern the down
town business district long-
range plans for the entire city
area will be considered too.
The final plan would be sub
mitted in the form of a pub
lished document to the Depart
ment of Housing and Urban
Development Funding through
H.U.D. could be requested on
matching funds basis with the
city and county paying 50% and
H.U.D. funds covering! 50%.
Portions of the local percentage
could be fulfilled with "inkind”
payments, estimating costs of
using local equipment, person
nel, etc. Fundingon such a pro
ject , .says Hudson, is availa
ble only for use on public build
ings, and improvements of pu
blic areas such as lampposts,
trees, flowers, shrubbery, etc.
Any suggestions concerning
private businesses made by the
commission would not be bind
ing on the businesses, but lo
cal businessmen would have to
finance any improvements
Cont’d. on Page|6-A
committe members
SESQUICENTENNIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS meeting
at the Courthouse are (L-R) Mrs. S. A. McCosh, Harold
Clarke Mrs Billy Waldrep, Julius Stroud, J. Ben Spear,
Jr , Lamar Russell, Mrs. David Sewell, Sr., Dr. Robert
Jackson, and board chairman N. A,
tured are Directors Marvin Bowdoin,
and O. M, Williamson, Jr.
Hardin. Not pic-
Sr., Jack Treadwell